Live. Love. Serve

ROMANS 12 $ 13

“My dear Penny, all is vanity (eccl 1: 2) and the time that has been given to us under the sun is limited. That is why I advise you to live life the right way, to love and to serve. Because everything else will be forgotten one day.”

When Penny went to bed that evening, she thought about her grandma's words and could not get three simple terms out of her head: live, love, serve. She didn’t quite understand what her grandmother was trying to convey. So, she decided to continue the conversation with her the next morning.

“Grandma, what does it mean to live, love and serve the right way?” Her grandma smiled at her, made her and herself a cup of tea and joined her at the breakfast table.

Living life the right way

"Penny, never live your life according to the values ​​and guidelines of this world. Because if you do, you will die, and I am not saying this to scare you off. I am advising you because I love you and I only want the best for you. Do not equate yourself with this world (Ro 12: 2). Always choose what is good and always submit to the governing and the authorities (Ro 13: 1). I see how fast everything goes these days and how wild and rebellious this generation is – all in the name of "You only live once (yolo)". Therefore, everything must be done quickly. Patience has become a foreign word. Love is misunderstood and to serve one another according to God’s will, is strange to you.”

Penny then wanted to know what love is and why it is misunderstood.

love thy neighbour as thyself

"You know Penny, love is patient and kind. It is not dogged and does not brag or look down on others. Love does not violate decency and does not seek one's own advantage (1 Cor. 13: 4ff). Love does no harm to one's neighbour (Ro 13:10). But that alone is misunderstood. Many think that love only loves those who love her. True love is shown by loving those who despise you. Take Jesus for example: what He did on the cross embodies love. Because He didn’t only sacrifice himself for those who accepted and loved Him, but also for those who disregarded him. Many people find it difficult to love one another these days. Maybe it's because many don't even know what it means to be loved the right way. After all, it is difficult to pass on what you do not have or let alone experienced. Jesus was able to love us because He learned love from His Heavenly Father. That is one of the reasons why He loves us the way He does.” At this point Penny could not get enough and wanted to know more about

“serving one another”.

Born to serve

“The life we ​​call ours is not ours. We were created to serve and to bring honour to the Creator.” But Penny didn’t understand what Her granny was trying to tell her.

“Penny, our heavenly Father borrowed us life when He lovingly formed us in secret (Ps. 139: 15) and filled us with many gifts and talents. Every one of us has a God given gift. Some can organize or sing well. Others are gifted in teaching or in speaking prophetically. The most important thing here is the understanding of the fact that those gifts were not given to us for our own selfish desires. But they were given to us to serve the creator and to bring honour to His name.” “But how grandma, how?”

“Penny, we have to primarily be aware of our divine identity. Don’t you know that we are part of God’s family? Therefore, it is our duty to use our gifts to reflect God's love in this fallen world. And one way we can show God’s love is by serving one another in Christ.

And for us to be able to achieve that, we need the help of our friend and helper - the Holy Spirit. For all our gifts are inspired and brought to pass by the Him, who apportions to each person individually exactly as He chooses (1. Cor, 12:11). He is the only one who knows God's thoughts and what pleases him. That is why He is the best teacher, the best friend, and the perfect helper we as God's children can have. Therefore Penny, spend a lot of time in God's word and presence. Learn to be sensitive to His voice and spirit, so that you can live, love and serve the right way."

We, as little Penny, desire to live life to the fullest of God's desire. We all want to live - but life is not all about living. The goal of our creator is that we become an expression of His unfailing love on earth. He intends that we emit the fragrance of His unending affection to all humanity in all spheres of our lives.

But the past and present events in the world have proven that it is difficult forman to love its kind. No one really wants to pay the cost of love! This is because true love is not in the realm of men. God knows about this human frailty and He has provided a way for us to attain His perfect love. It is the way of His Spirit.

"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline" II Tim 1:7

All in all, we belong to God; therefore, we must live according to His will. And the only way can achieve that, is with the help of the Holy Spirit.